Rocker lock for reclining platform rocking chair



Apri 23, i968 N. W. MIZELLE 3,379,473

ROCKER LOCK FOR RECLINXNG PLATFORM ROCKING CHAIR Filed May l2, 1967 2Sheets-Sheet l pri 23, w68 N. w. MIZELLE ROCKER LOCK FOR RECLININGPLATFORM BOOKING CHAIR 2 Sheets-5heet 2 Filed May l2, 1967 hired3,333,473 Patented Apr. 2S, lig

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ABSTRACT 0F THE DISCLSURE A rocker lock for reclining platform rockingchairs, in which a pair of links pivotally connected substantiallyend-to-end are pivotally mounted one on a movable seat and the other onthe rear of the chair frame, with roller means on one of the links. Thelinks in upright position of the chair are at a large obtuse angle, withthe roller high enough that it permits normal rocking. As the chairreclines the seat approaches the rear of the chair frame and the angleof the links closes so as to move the roller onto a back bar of theplatform and prevent rocking. With continued reclining the roller movesacross the back bar.

Background of the invention position. However, this requires that meansbe provided 1 to lock the chair against rocking movement when it ismoved to reclining position, because if it is not locked the shift inbalance during reclining causes the chair to rock to its maximumrearward position, and this adversely affects the orientation of thechair in reclining position by pitching it too far back.

Several such rocker locks have been devise, some consisting of a iixedarm at each side of the seat with a roller at its lower end, so thatlowering of the seat during reclining movement places the rollers on theplatform frame to prevent rocking movement; and some consisting ofcomplex linkage systems so that movement of the back or the leg restlocks the chair against rocking.

No such mechanisms heretofore devised have been particularlysatis-factory. Those which have stop unlits on both sides of the chairare almost impossible to align so that both units strike the platform atthe same time; and if they do not they place a torsional strain on thearm rest frame. While there have been heretofore some rocker lockshaving a single unit at the center of the chair, all of them have beencharacterized by relatively complex and expensive linkages. Some priorart rocker locks have been diicult to adjust so that they would notinterfere with normal rocking when the chair is upright.

Sinn/'nary of the invention The principal object of the presentinvention is to provide, for a reclining platform rocking chair, arocker lock 4which is simple, inexpensive, effective, easy to installand adjust, and readily arranged so as not to interfere wit-h rockingwhen the chair is upright.

The objects of the invention are achieved by providing a rocker lockunit as described in the abstract. The rocker loc-k roller in uprightposition of the chair is high enough that it cannot interfere withrocking. The use of a parir of folding links to shift the rollerdownwardly onto the platform frame permits a lock unit to be readilydesigned to tit any reclining chair mechanism merely by selecting linksof the correct lengths.

Rocker locks are most effective on three position chairs,

i.e., those which recline first to an intermediate position for TVviewing and when may then be moved to a full reclining posiiton. Therocker lock ybecomes effective when the chair reaches TV position; andthe lock of the present invention merely rolls across the back rail asthe chair is moved from TV position to full reclining position.

Brief description of the drawings lFIG. l is a fragmentary verticalsection-al View of a chair embodying the invention, with the recliningmechanism omitted for clarity and the chair in upright position;

WIG. 2 is a rear elevational view of said chair with the rocker lock inthe position of FIG. 3;

PEG. 3 is a fragmentary view like FIG. l with the chair in anintermediate reclining position; and

FlG. 4 is a view like FIG. 3 with the chair in full reclining position.

Description of the preferred embodiment Referring to the drawings ingreater detail, and referring first to FIGS. l and 2, a chair includes aplatform, indicated generally at di?, having side frame members 11, arear cross frame member l2, and a front cross frame member i3. The sideframe members 1l have coplanar upper surfaces 14 on which a rockingchair frame, indicated generally at 15, is supported. The chair frame l5includes ya pair of arm members 16 having arcuate bases 17' which restupon the surfaces 14, a rear crossbar 18 and a front crossbar r9; As iswell known in the art, rocker spring units 2t? are secured to the siderails 11 and to the arm members 16 to normally retain the chair frame l5in a predetermined position from which it may rock forwardly andrearwardly.

A seat frame, indicated generally at 2l, includes side frame members 22,a rear cross rail 2,3 and a front cross rail 22a. The seat frame 22 anda back, indicated generally at 24, 'are supported from the chair framele' on any suitable linkage, not shown, which permits the seat and backto move from the upright position of FIG. 1 to a iirst recliningposition as seen in FlG. 3 and to a full reclining position as seen inyFiG. 4. A typical linkage which permits such double reclining action isdisclosed in Mizelle Patent No. 3,269,769, issued Aug. 30, 1966.

The rocker lock of the present invention consists of a linkage,indicated generally at 25, which comprises a long rst link 25 which ispiv-oted at 27 on a bracket 28 on the rear seat rail 23; a short secondlink 29 which is pivoted at 3? on a bracket 31 on the rear crossbar 18;a pivot 32 which connects the free end 26a of the rst link 26 with apoint near the free end 29a of second link 29; .and a cross pin 33 inthe second link 29 'between the pivot 32 and the free end 29a of thelink 29 which carries roller means 34 consisling of a lpair of rollers34a and 3412 `(FIG. 2) which flank the links 26 `and 29. Although link26 in the illustrated embodiment is pivoted at 27 to the rear seat rail23, it will be appreciated that the link could be pivoted to any pointon the seat frame, :and that rear rail 23 has been selected to minimizethe length of the link. Additionally, while the rearmost end of link 26is shown as being pivoted to a intermediate point on link 29, it couldbe pivoted to the end of link 29 so as to be coincident with the axis ofroller means 34.

In the upright position of FIG. l the links 2.6 and 29 are at va largeobtuse yangle, with the pin 33 seated in a notch in rst link 26, and theroller means 34 above any part of the arcuate surfaces 17 which supportthe chair upon the platform surfaces 14 so there is no interference withrocking of the chair.

As the chair is moved toward the rst reclining position of FlG. 3, whichis a comfortable position for TV viewing, the seat frame 21 moveslinkage 25 .rearwardly toward the `rear crossbar 1S and -folds the linksso that the long link 26 swings the short link 29 downwardly andrearwardly about its pivot 30 to a generally vertical position andbrings the roller means into contact with a rear plate 12a on the rearcross frame member 12. With the rocker lock linkage in the position ofFIG. 3 the seat can no longer be rocked rearwardly.

As the seat frame 21 and zback yframe 25 are -moved to the fullreclining position of FIG. 4 the hack `of the seat moves upwardly as theseat continues to move rearwardly; and the roller means 34 movesslightly rearwardly on the wear plate 12a as arms 16 rock crossbar 18slightly downwardly so t-hat in Ifull reclining position of the chairthe rollers occupy the position of FIG. 4 and the linkage 25 Iand rollermeans 34 continue to prevent rocking action of the chair. It will beappreciated that depending upon the specific reclining mechanism thathas been selected link 29 and roller means 34 could move -forwardly inmoving to the full reclining position, but in all instances, the rollersmeans -Will remain in engagement with the Wear plate 12a to preventrocking laction of the chair.

As the chair is again moved to upright position the linkage is extendedby the forward movement of the seat 22, and the roller means 34 returnsto the position of FIG 1 so the chair 15 is free to rock on the platform10.

The foregoing detailed description is given for clean ness ofunderstanding only and no unnecessary limitations s'hould be understoodtherefrom, as modications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. In a chair which has a platform that includes a rear cross 1framemember and a chair frame including a rear crossbar member and armmembers with means which rock on the platform and in which a Seat memberland back member are mounted in the -frame for movement from an uprightposition to a reclining position with the seat member moving toward therear crossbar member during such movement, rocker lock means comprising:a iirst link pivotally connected to the seat member;

a second link pivotally connected to the rear crossbar member; a pivotconnecting the free end of one of said links to the other of said links;and a r-oller journaled on said other of said links, said links being sorelated to one 4another and to the members with which they are connectedthat the links in upright position of the seat and -back members for-m alarge obtuse angle to one another and the roller is `a substantialdistance above the platform, While movement of the seat member and backmember toward reclining position folds the links and causes the rollerto rest on the rear cross frame member of the platform at apredetermined point in said movement toward reclining position.

2. The device of claim 1 in which there is a single rocker lock mountedon the longitudinal median plane of the chair.

3. The device of claim 1 in which the relationship of the links to therock means of the arm members is such that in upright position of thechair the roller is in a plane above .any part of the rock means whichcontact the platform `during rocking movement of the chair.

4. The device -of claim 1 in which the first link is substantiallylonger than the second link, and the pivotal connection is at the freeend of the first link and near the free end of the second link.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,094,353 6/1963 Mizelle 297-85y3,096,119 7/1963 Fletcher 297-85 3,162,482 12/1964 Katz. 297-85'3,243,226 3/ 1966 Katz 297-85 3,269,769 8/1966 Mizelle 297--853,300,243 l/1967 Mizelle 297- 3,322,459 5/ 1967 Hampton 297-85 BOBBY R.GAY, Primary Examiner.

GLENN FINCH, Assistant Examiner.

